Listening to People

A down-to-earth, practical guide for interview and participant observation and analysis.

This book will help you:

• Understand the importance of talking to others, including listening to feedback from others while conducting research
• Recognize that there is not only one right way to sculpt your study
• Learn how to plan the early stages of a project such as designing the study and choosing whom to study
• See how to navigate the IRB and how to perform practical matters while collecting data
• Learn how to plan before an interview and how to construct an interview guide
• Read real-life interviews with notes showing what probes work well and which are less successful

> As the title of this book suggests, Lareau considers listening to be the core element of interviewing and observation. A researcher must listen to people as she collects data, listen to feedback as she describes what she is learning, listen to the findings of others as they delve into the existing literature on topics, and listen to herself in order to sift and prioritize some aspects of the study over others. By listening in these different ways, researchers will discover connections, reconsider assumptions, catch mistakes, develop and assess new ideas, weigh priorities, ponder new directions, and undertake numerous adjustments--all of which will make their contributions clearer and more valuable.

Accessibly written and full of practical, easy-to-follow guidance, this book will help both novice and experienced researchers to do their very best work. Qualitative research is an inherently uncertain project, but with Lareau's help, you can alleviate anxiety and focus on success.